


Nobody But You

by FeliciaSueLynn



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, First Dates, Fluff, Ice Skating, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:42:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22681168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeliciaSueLynn/pseuds/FeliciaSueLynn
Summary: Cait got a job at the nearby children's ice skating rink and got to watch Samwell's Hockey team teach kids. Though one of the members stood out way more than the rest.This was a fic request from my tumblr :D
Relationships: Chris "Chowder" Chow/Caitlin Farmer
Comments: 4
Kudos: 39





	Nobody But You

Normally Cait is much more comfortable on a volleyball court. But she needed a part time job and the only thing available when she realized this was the ice skate rental booth at the ice skating rink near Samwell. But, if she’s being honest, this isn’t a bad gig. 

She’s only on week two of working, but so far every day she’s worked there has been someone from the Samwell Hockey team on the ice teaching kids how to skate. She watched a pair of very tall men, one blonde and white, one nearly bald and black, teach toddlers how to skate. It was the most adorable thing she’d ever seen.

She watched a short blonde guy teach a gaggle of middle school girls how to do some basic figure skating. A guy with very long hair and the weirdest mustache she’d ever seen on someone under 30 lecture a group of teenage boys about their behavior to the girls they like on the ice and then show them how to actually impress people without being as he put it “a dillhole.”

But today, she’s decided, is the day she’s died and gone to heaven. Because today, an asian guy with the cutest smile she’s probably ever seen, is teaching 6 to 15 year olds how to shoot a puck. He’s adorably pretending to not be fast enough to catch the puck for the younger kids and giving good criticism and encouragement to the older ones. 

Watching the hockey team teach has become the highlight of her days when she works. She looks forward to watching more. 

It’s her first time working a Saturday and that’s when she realizes that Saturday afternoons the entire hockey team shows up to help get a scrimmage game going for the kids. They break up to try and even distribute themselves onto two separate teams. But for the most part they hang by the boards as the kids play. This puts her close enough to talk to the team. At least, half of the team. But she doesn't know what to say. That’s just her luck.

“They’re so cute, aren’t they,” Caitlin hears and she looks up to find the cute goalie looking at her. She points to herself silently questioning whether he’s talking to her or not. He nods and his smile widens and lights up his entire face.

“They are. It makes me wish I knew anything about hockey,” she replies. 

“I could teach you! It’s really easy,” he says and the excitement in his voice is contagious because she suddenly feels the same way. Excited.

“I’m Cait,” she says and waits expectantly.

“Chris Chow, but everyone calls me Chowder.”

“Chowder?”

“Hockey nickname. It’s a thing for some reason. I think it’s fun!”

She smiles at him and nods, “It is.”

At that moment a few kids collide and fall to the ice and his line creases with genuine worry and Cait knows she’s absolutely hooked by that one tiny conversation. It seems a few people are elected to help in situations like this without the need for words between the team. The short blonde, Chris, and a curly haired black guy she’d not seen before skate over to the kids and start assessing if anyone is hurt. All the kids are back on their feet and smiling pretty quickly and the game resumes.

“Crisis avoided,” Chris says as he hits the boards near her again.

“Chowder, quit flirting and pay attention,” the curly haired guy says, a smile pulling up the corner of half of his mouth.

“Chirp, chirp, Nursey, go pretend to hate Dex some more and leave me be,” Chris teases back.

Cait can feel her cheeks warm up at the implication and the fact that Chris didn’t seem to actually deny it. 

“Ignore him, he’s feeling churlish,” Chris says turning back to Cait with a big grin, “So, about teaching you hockey...How about Tuesday night at Moe’s. They’ll be playing the hockey game and it doesn’t get too loud there.”

“I’d love that,” Cait replies biting her lip. 

“6:30, don’t be late,” he smiles at her, “See you then,” he says and skates away as the game comes to a close. 

She watches the team run a few drills with the kids but then her shift ends and while she’d love to stay and continue watching. Maybe chat with Chris some more. She promised to meet some of her teammates at the gym to do some conditioning. Their season’s over but she’s aiming for the captain spot next year.

The next few days pass slowly. It feels like Tuesday evening can’t come soon enough. She’s buzzing with energy the entire day. She’s ready an hour early and mentally cursing herself for it. But her teammates have her back and are hyping her up as she walks out the door and that helps a lot.

She takes the bus to Moe’s, it’s not far but it’s cold out, and Chris is already there waiting in a booth with an easy view of the TVs from both sides. It looks strategic and she loves it.

“Cait! You made it,” Chris says exuberantly. He stands up from the booth. He offers his hand and then looks at it like he’s incredulous he just did that and instead goes in for a hug. Cait giggles and accepts the hug. He rubs the back of his head sheepishly as he sits back down and she does the same across from him.

“How are you,” she asks in an attempt to ease his awkwardness.

“Good! You?”

Cait smiles. He seems nervous. He’s playing with his hands and kind of fidgety in general and it’s so endearing. She reaches out and takes his hand. 

“I’m great now that I’m here,” she replies going for full cheese.

The smile he aims at her makes it 100% worth it she thinks. 

“Awesome, okay! So the game should start soonish. Let’s order and I’ll explain the basics.”

She nods and picks up the menu. The service is quick and efficient for a bar and grill sort of place and she’s happy for it. Their orders are taken swiftly and then Chris delves right into explaining hockey with a gusto she’s never seen anyone have before. 

She thinks she knows enough to kind of keep up but the game starts and Cait is immediately lost.

“I don’t. What? It’s so fast!”

“I’ll explain it!”

Normally, a date where the guy explains everything about a sport you usually have no interest in is terrible. But Chris makes it fun and light hearted and laughs good naturedly when she declares giving up and just digs into her food. 

“So, what are you studying?”

Cait looks up at him and he’s silently cursing himself. The silence turns into angry whispering.

“What’s your major, get it together Chow, Holster warned you not to be so basic.”

Cait giggles and decides to save him from himself. 

“I’m studying economics. I’m actually here on a volleyball scholarship so it’s nice to meet someone so passionate about their own sport.”

“Oh really? That’s awesome,” he says the tension in his shoulders and jaw draining away, “I’ve heard our volleyball team is pretty good! I should try and make it to the next game.”

“Well, what year are you in? Our season is over so the next one is in August,” Cait teases.

“Oh, darn,” he replies.

“It’s alright, I’ll make sure you know when our first game is,” Cait says and winks at him. He blushes and and takes a sip of his drink. 

“So what are you studying,” Cait asks.

“Oh, I’m a computer science major! It’s just so interesting, ya know.”

And Cait has absolutely no doubt that he finds it completely enthralling. She also suspects that if he were to tell her about it, she’d also find it interesting despite having little to no interest in computers.

The conversation flows a little more smoothly after that. They talk about growing up in California, how ironic! How they got into their respective sports. Debate the coffee vs tea. She is firmly on coffee and he is most definitely on tea. 

It’s the best date she’s had in a very long time. Quite honestly, it might be the best date she’s ever been on. So when they walk out of Moe’s several hours later still talking, she decides to go for it.

“Chris,” she says during a pause in their conversation, “I really enjoyed my time with you tonight and-”

“And you want to be friends,” he says voice low and eyes staring at a spot on the ground.”

“No, I want to see you again. On a date. And I was wondering if you’d walk me home.”

His head snaps up and a smile slowly grows on his face and Cait is totally and completely gone.

“I’d love to,” he says and grabs her hand interlocking their fingers.

They walk home in a comfortable silence. It’s nice to just enjoy someone’s company, she thinks. 

“Do you live in a dorm?”

“Oh, no, I live in the volleyball house. It’s near the rest of the campus sports houses.”

“S’awesome! I live in the Hockey Haus. It’s nice that you’re close,” he says a little shyly.

Cait squeezes his hand, “It’s super nice.”

They continue along quietly until they reach her house and he walks her right up to the door before pulling on her hand to stop her from going on. Biting his lip he searches her face.

“Could I kiss you,” he whispers. Cait bites her own lips and nods. 

Chris slides one hand along Cait’s jaw to help angle her face and leans down to press his lips gently against her own. She gingerly wraps her arms around his waist and pushes back against his kiss. He deepens in and Cait is pretty sure fireworks are going off behind her eyelids.

All too soon, he’s pulling back giving her one of his absolutely dazzling smiles. 

“I don’t want to leave, but I have a 5am practice session tomorrow,” he says regret lacing every word.

“Well, text me tomorrow. Maybe we can get lunch on campus if our classes line up.”

“I’d love to.”

He leans down and presses a small kiss to her lips and then backs away walking backwards all the way down the footpath that leads to the stairs of the volleyball house with a dopey smile on his face that Cait is pretty sure is mirrored on hers. 

She’s never been more happy to have started working at the ice skating rink.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Charmer fic, I hope I did them justice~
> 
> Tumblr @kentparsnipparson  
> Pillowfort @notafuckisgiven


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